Therman Statom, Frankincense
In conjunction with the Summer of Glass, Momentum Gallery, in downtown Asheville, is pleased to present a collection of works by contemporary glass pioneer, Therman Statom. Featured works at Momentum Gallery include translucent shadow boxes constructed from sheet glass, screen-printed with various imagery and combined with found objects, a large-scale painting of two playing cards within a plate glass shadowbox with found objects entitled “Summer Queens," a solid cast-glass house, and works on paper (vitreographs done at Harvey Littleton’s studio in Western North Carolina). Vitreography is a printmaking process, utilizing glass plates as the printing matrix, innovated by Harvey Littleton, “the Father of Studio Glass” in the early 1970s. Littleton continued to develop the process at his Western North Carolina studio after moving here in 1976. A collection of Statom’s work will be featured in an exhibition at Momentum Gallery, opening July 1 and continuing through August 25th, 2018.
Therman Statom, Native
Therman Statom (b. 1953) is an artist whose primary medium is sheet glass. He cuts, paints, and assembles the glass - adding found and blown glass objects – to create three-dimensional sculptures. Many of these works are large in scale. He often utilizes sound and projected digital imagery as features in his work. He is best known for his painted ladders, houses, and chairs, and glass boxes.
Statom studied glass at Pilchuck Glass Center, received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and holds an MFA from Pratt Institute of Art and Design. He has taught at Pilchuck and the University of California, Los Angeles. He has also received commissions for countless large-scale installations, including at the Los Angeles Central Public Library and the Toledo Museum of Art.
Therman Statom, Queen of Hearts
Statom has also focused on the importance of educational programming within the arts. He regularly holds workshops for children and adults to create handmade art and to effect positive social change within the community.
Statom's artwork appears in numerous exhibitions annually, including solo and group shows around the nation and internationally. He is renowned for his large, site-specific installations. His illustrious professional career includes exhibitions at major museums across the United States. Internationally, Statom has exhibited his work in Stockholm, Sweden; Paris, France; Hokkaido, Japan and Ensenada, Mexico.
Therman Statom, Map
Therman Statom has earned various accolades and honors including Outstanding Achievement Award presented in 2008 by UrbanGlass, and a Distinguished Artist Award presented in 2006 by the James Renwick Alliance in Washington, DC. Statom was awarded fellowship grants by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1988 and 1982; he was the recipient of a Ford Foundation Artists Grant in 1997. Statom was made a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1999.
“I believe art can be understood both conceptually and intuitively. I think there is a need for the general public to come to an understanding that to appreciate art and creativity they must trust his or her self; that extensive education is not a prerequisite for understanding art. Much of what I do is seeded in what is more of an intuitive process; a large portion of my work is exploring these processes within people and their environments.
The fact is, I believe that creativity is a part of all aspects of what people do; my studio and educational efforts via workshops and the support of outside programming, general educational and cultural institutions, are a reflection of this belief.
I feel that art is tool for empowerment and education. It’s also a viable tool to investigate positive change and engage a culture through the use of exploration.” – Therman Statom